Before the Storm
by Redwolfvirus
Summary: The peace between RainbowClan and the Peace Keepers is about to be shattered after many generations of living in harmony. When several dark prophecies begin to connect two special cats in RainbowClan with the dark past of the two Clans, and the coming future, will they be the key to the destruction of them all, or will they be the key to saving the Clan before the storm?
1. Prologue

**OKAY! So this is a story that I had started a long while back, along with a prequel that is not up at the moment, but on the begging of a friend *glances at Frosty* :"3 I have decided to start up again on this. Please note that I use actual twoleg cursing for the cats sometimes, so if you do not like, then do not comment or read. x"D For those who dun give a damn, read on my friendlies read on, for there shall be tragedy, angst, secrets, betrayel, and a dash of romance and eternal friendship ;D Well now I'm just being a babbling old granny SO ON TO THE STORY BISHES!**

**Before the Storm: Prologue**

"_A storm shall come, spreading darkness, consuming all in torrents of wind and rain, that not even the once valiant lightning shall be able to stop its destructive path. There is hope though, for when the sky parts ways, it shall give way to the rainbow and peace shall once again reign over all."_

"_Watch out though my young leader, for you must first beware the blood that falls before the storm."_

Yowls of battle tore through the forest, giving warning to any who would dare venture too close. A half moon hovered overhead, giving just enough light for the monstrous fight, and warring creatures, to be visible. Small, lithe, and nimble creatures fought against much bigger and stronger red and white furred beasts. Claws swiped when teeth snapped, and each left the ground littered with blood.

"Damn these foxes," a smoky grey tom cursed, as he jumped back, avoiding the bone crushing jaws of a huge fox. Hissing, the tom leaped onto the beast's back, digging his claws into its pelt. The fox howled in pain, and tried in vain to buck the cat off. The cat held on though, fueled by the will to protect the defenseless clanmates back at the camp. He knew he was getting weary though, and soon he would fall from exhaustion, and the fox would have its pleasure of killing him.

The tom could feel his muscles getting weak, and feared that it would be his end soon. As he thought the worst, two cats lashed out from nowhere, and barreled into the snapping creature below the tom. He jumped off of the fox at the last minute, and tried to catch his breath as the two saviors of his barraged the beast with anger driven blows with their claws. The smoky cat watched as both cats gave a final strike to the beast, causing it to flee into the forest; thankfully it ran away from the direction that the camp was in.

Both of the cats, a tom and she-cat, padded over to check on the battle weary cat. They were concerned for him, but the grey tom shook his head, indicating he wasn't in serious pain. He gave a light smile, "Thank you both; that could have turned out bad if you hadn't of come when you did." He looked specifically at the she-cat, "Icepelt, were you all successful in convincing Whitestar?"

The blue-grey cat's eye's filled with sadness, "I'm sorry Nightgaze, but Ripplefang and Shaderipple were unable to convince him. Whitestar refuses to send anyone to ask Cress for help."

Nightgaze hissed angrily, "That fool, what's he thinking?" He gazed around at the chaos around them, and inwardly winced whenever he saw one of his clanmates almost get enclosed by ferocious jaws. "Where is Whitestar right now, or better yet, where are Shaderipple and Ripplefang."

Icepelt shook her head, "I don't know; when we heard the foxes getting closer, everyone dashed to help. Blacksky and I ran to help you, when we saw the trouble that you were in." She looked at the black tom standing next to her, who was busy watching for danger.

Nightgaze nodded in understanding, and got ready to dash off to find his leader. A thought came to mind though, and he questioned the two cats, "Have either of you two seen your mother; she was fighting close by, but I can't find her."

Blacksky opened his jaws to answer, when a thrashing fox, accompanied by two warriors, rolled through the three cats. They jumped back in time, avoiding getting hit. Immediately, Nightgaze sprung into action, giving orders to his two offspring, "Blacksky help Blazeheart, and Icepelt, get Foxtooth to a safe area." Without hesitating, the littermates leaped at the beast that almost had a small injured ginger tom in its jaws.

Nightgaze moved away from the fight, knowing they wouldn't need his help at the moment. The smoky tom dashed through the battlefield, dodging the obstacles of fighting and rolling bodies. His blue eyes darted everywhere, desperately looking for a particular cat. White fur flashed in front of him and he stopped, yelling angrily, "Whitestar!"

A big black and white tom was swiping at a large fox, while two young apprentices took turns batting at its hind legs. Nightgaze growled under his breath when one of the apprentices tripped forward, and was grabbed ahold of in the jaws of the fox. The beast shook the tortoiseshell she-cat by the scruff, before abruptly dropping her. The fox yowled in pain, having just had its snout bitten into by a very angry Nightgaze.

Seeing the opening, Whitestar, and the misty apprentice with him, ran forward and raked their claws on the animal's face. Both cats hissed vehemently, and the fox knew that it had had enough; it turned tail and disappeared back into the forest.

Nightgaze ran to the wounded apprentice's side, and looked her over, "Goldenpaw are you okay?" He leaned down to sniff the wound on her neck, which was bleeding too much for his liking. He then noticed a big scratch on her foreleg, and touched his nose to it.

The young she-cat winced, and clenched her teeth, hissing. Nightgaze gave a worried look, and then wound around to snap at his leader. "What is the meaning of not going to the Peace Keepers for help? Have you completely lost your mind?"

The white cat glared at the angry tom, "Watch yourself Nightgaze; you may be my friend and deputy, but I will not be spoken to like that."

Nightgaze scoffed at the pitiful threat, which barely compared to the hell that was going on around them. He glanced down at Goldenpaw, who was being helped up by the young misty tom. "Snakepaw," Nightgaze instructed, "Help Goldenpaw back to camp, and order everyone to flee into the Great Willow's branches."

The misty grey tom gave his deputy a questioning look, "But-,"

""No buts! You both are spent. Get back to camp while we hold them off; we can buy you some time. If you can, find Emberpaw, Crescentpaw, and Owlpaw, and take them with you."

All the while, Whitestar looked on with mixed emotion. He didn't know what to do, but felt that they could win by themselves. "No, Goldenpaw will go back, but my apprentice stays. Goldenpaw, ask for the rest of the warriors guarding the camp to come here and help."

Nightgaze snapped at his leader, "We can't win! Can you not see that? Our first priority is to get the younger ones to safety and then retreat. We wouldn't have to do this if you would just ask Cress for help!"

Whitestar narrowed his eyes at his deputy, "We are fine on our own. You can send your apprentice back, but Snakepaw will stay here with me. We will be fine once the rest of the clan is sent as reinforcement."

Nightgaze raised his fur, "You're going to kill us all because of your pride! Call for Cress now, or we will all die!"

"I said that I won't. Now hurry up and help the others. Snakepaw, come with me." The black and white tom turned to leap back into the fray.

"No, I won't." Snakepaw glared at his mentor with furious purple eyes.

Whitestar immediately stopped in his tracks, and turned around, surprised at his apprentice. "What did you say?"

The black-headed tom stepped forward defiantly, "I won't fight until you call for help. If you don't, then we'll get everyone to retreat, and the foxes can have this territory. Look around us Whitestar, look at the carnage! We've already lost some of the others, or have you even noticed?"

At hearing Snakepaw's statement, Whitestar began hastily searching the battlefield. Sure enough, with each pass over, a limp body was discovered. Seeing so many of his clanmate's lifeless forms sent realization into the clan leader. He was almost speechless as he gazed around more quickly. "Shaderipple! Where is Shaderipple?!"

"Now you see the trouble that we're in! Send for Cress," Nightgaze shouted over the struggles of battle, ignoring his leader's question. He glanced back at his apprentice, "Go now, and warn the others. Get the apprentices out of here." He pushed her to move, and without questioning her mentor, Goldenpaw disappeared behind the other three cats.

Now seeing the extreme danger that they were all in, Whitestar clenched his teeth in frustration. He had to make a decision now, or his entire clan would die. He turned to his deputy and his apprentice, "Snakepaw, I need you to go get help. Get across the field and get word to Cress' guards"

Snakepaw, still glaring at his mentor, nodded in understanding. He couldn't help that he was angry at his leader. Whitestar did deserve it after all. Snakepaw's father, Ripplefang, along with Shaderipple had tried to convince their leader to send a messenger to get help from the Peace Keepers. But the old tom had fervently refused, saying that it was a sign of weakness. Snakepaw knew this, because he had gone with them, along with his brother, Crescentpaw, and Nightgaze's kits, Blacksky and Icepelt, to convince their prideful leader.

With one last look at the other two cats, Snakepaw ran off in the direction that the twolegplace was. It was an arduous task, but the apprentice skillfully dodged left and right, trying desperately to avoid a confrontation. Triumph filled his body when he finally reached the end of the field that the battle was in. He picked up the pace, and was almost in the brush, when a particular flash of fur caught his eye.

Slowly, Snakepaw turned his head, and ended up stopping in his tracks. Ripplefang was fighting off a fox, single-pawed, and he was winning. That's not what made terror sweep through young Snakepaw's body, however. On the ground, behind his father, were the lifeless bodies of his mother, Swanheart and his littermate Crescentpaw.

Snakepaw stared at them, frozen to the spot where he had stopped. Nothing registered in his brain, other than the fact that his mother and brother were lying in a pool of blood, unmoving. Only when he saw the fox sneaking up behind Ripplefang, did the apprentice finally take action and move.

Snakepaw ran, desperately trying to warn the clueless warrior of the danger. "Ripplefang!" The tom didn't hear him, and Snakepaw wasn't any closer to help. He called one more time, "Father!" He could see the long-furred grey tom perk up his ears, and turn around. It was too late though, and the fox came down on him. It was over in seconds.

Snakepaw had shut his eyes, and by the time he reopened then, his father was dead. The fox loomed over the lifeless body, blood dripping from its maw. A deep rumbling sound could be heard coming from its throat that, to Snakepaw, sounded like a chuckle. Grief was soon washed away, being replaced by a dark rage. Fueled by hatred and a thirst for vengeance, Snakepaw ran full speed at the red and white creature.

With all of his strength, Snakepaw leaped onto the fox's back, and dug both his claws and teeth into the creature's neck. The fox yelped in surprise and tried frantically to shake the furious cat off. Snakepaw wouldn't relent however, and driven by pure bloodlust, pulled his fangs out of the fox's neck and slammed them into its skull. Suddenly, he felt the larger body stiffen beneath him, and he pulled his fangs out of its head. He jumped off of the fox before it hit the ground, dead, and tried to catch his breath, as well as the thoughts that were clouding his mind.

_Snaakepaaw_

Snakepaw shook his head, and the red haze that had clouded his vision, soon dissipated, and he began to realize what had just occurred. He stared wide-eyed at his family's dead bodies, and then glanced at the bloodied and beaten corpse of their killer. The fox's blood was in his mouth, and he spit it out, before the disgusting taste and smell made him vomit.

He didn't know at what point that it happened, but Snakepaw soon found himself standing over his father's body. Again he was met with deep, heart-stabbing sorrow, and the tears began streaming from his lavender eyes. His body shook, and his head was pressed against the corpse, willing it to come back to life.

So caught up in his grief, Snakepaw didn't even notice the cats that had materialized out of the forest behind him. At least twenty of them, the reinforcements began throwing themselves into the fray. The last cat to leave the forest confines, a black and white tom, stopped running when he caught sight of Snakepaw and the bodies. The tom's eyes widened and he made a mad dash to the young apprentice.

"Snakepaw! Snakepaw what happened? Are you-" The tom's eyes widened, and he came to a halt only a few fox-lengths away from the apprentice. "Oh no." He turned his head away in grief.

"Shaderipple, there you are. Have you seen Ripple-great StarClan, no." Whitestar padded up to stand beside his son. Along with Nightgaze, the three toms stared in shock and sadness at their fallen comrades, and the grieving young cat.

Snakepaw didn't look up to acknowledge his clanmates' presence. Tears had started coming down faster, as he cried harder. His head was pushed deeper into the warrior's soft, matching pelt. "Ripplefang please… you can't be dead," he pleaded in a desperate voice. "Please, you have to get up Ripplefang. Ripplefang…" Still no answer came, and fueled by anger and sadness, Snakepaw threw his head up and yelled, throwing his voice all of the way to StarClan.

So was the beginning, of the darkness that was to come…

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**Poor Snakepaw ;-;...**

**Well onto other things! :"3 Please review if you like so far, and please, no flaming.**

**Please do note that if you do flame, I will just be eating popcorn while chuckling with my crossdressing characters from a Maximum Ride RP, at the very silly and "creative" comments. Cx **

**To my friends at RebelClan *nudge nudge* ;D You guys know what I be talkin about.**

**Well I await reviews and thoughts C: Good day to all of you Warriors fans out there.**


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPPY 1 ISH NOW UP BISHES! :"D  
Dawn: HEY HEY GIRL! ;D I see you found the link. I'm glad you like it so far! O3O**

**Frosty: ;-; Yes... yes it was... C: Glad you loved it girl!**

**Before the Storm Chapter 1**

_Snakeshade's P.O.V._

My eyes bolted open to sound of pain filled yowls. On guard from my nightmare, I sat up quickly, and intently listened to the ruckus that was happening outside of the warriors den. I looked around, to find that I was alone and got up to check out what was going on outside. Daylight greeted me when I poked my head out of the tunnel.

Looking up, I could tell that it was already sunhigh. I growled under my breath, "How come nobody woke me?" I looked around the camp, noticing everyone was crowded close to the nursery den. That was the only clue that I needed, to realize what was going on. Upon seeing the clan deputy's black and white form pacing closest to the entrance, excitement wash over me. I padded over to the throng of cats, making my way to the fretting tom's side. "Shaderipple," I smiled, and nodded in greeting to my friend. "How's she doing?" I motioned to the den where the yowls were coming from, light concern etched on my face.

The soon-to-be-father, continued pacing back and forth, shaking his head. "I don't know. Sweetsong kicked me out three times already. I need to be in there. What if something goes wrong?" He turned and looked at me, "I should be in there shouldn't I?" His tail twitched, and I visibly rolled my eyes at his sudden worrisome state.

I looked him straight in the eyes and scolded him, "Look Shaderipple, if you don't start calming down, I'm going to get Birdpaw to help me force-feed you poppy seeds." Shaderipple looked at the ground embarrassedly and I touched my tail to his shoulder. "It'll be fine; Goldentail's one of the strongest cats that I know." I gave him a mock glare, "Now sit down and patiently wait, or I'll break your legs."

Shaderipple smiled apologetically, and sat down next to me. For several minutes it was remotely quiet, save for the yowls, and the voices of Sweetsong and the several cats who were still patiently waiting with us. Finally, it seemed like Shaderipple had calmed down, but he still gazed at the nursery anxiously. I silently prayed to StarClan. "Remind me to never have kits," I whispered under my breath.

Both of us jumped up at the sound of an ear-splitting cry, followed by a tiny loud squeal. _Great they'll take after their mother, _I thought enthusiastically. I immediately beamed a great smile at my friend, who let out a heavy sigh of relief. We both glanced back at the entrance, when a red-brown she-cat walked out of the nursery with herbs in her jaws.

Shaderipple was the first to ask the question. "Are she and the kits alright?"

Sweetsong had a twinkle in her eyes; she placed down the herbs. "Goldentail and the **kit**, are doing fine. You may go in and visit, but make it quick, because they both need their rest." We both anxiously began to pad forward, until the she-cat stopped me with her tail. "One at a time. First the father and then whoever they want next." At that, everyone gave defeated cries, and disappeared to other locations in the camp. Sweetsong picked up her herbs and promptly left, with Birdpaw dashing after her from the nursery.

"I'll wait out here I guess," I said, irritated. Shaderipple gave me a sorry look, and then disappeared inside the den. I decided to waste some time, since Whitestar would be the next to visit, and that could take a while. I sat in front of the elder's den, swapping news with Badgergash, the oldest cat in the clan. I enjoyed spending time around the elders. They reminded me of the time before the great tragedies befell RainbowClan; before our leader became suspicious of everything; before the great fox attack; before the green cough epidemic that wiped out half of the clan; before my whole family was killed.

"Hey Snakeshade!"

Both Badgergash and I looked over to see Shaderipple calling from the outside of the nursery. Anticipation leaked off of my pelt and I bid a quick goodbye to Badgergash. I ran over to greet my friend, "That was quick." I looked around us, searching, coming up empty. "Isn't Whitestar going to see his own kin?" the question was layered with venom.

Shaderipple didn't flinch at my tone; he was used to it by now. The deputy knew that I blamed Whitestar for my family's death, and respected my view, even if it was his father that I loathed with a great passion. I wasn't the only one that thought this way however.

Many were lost that night, including the old deputy's mate. No one could explain why so many foxes suddenly encroached on our territory, but there had been whispers that it was a sign from StarClan. After that night, Nightgaze stepped down as deputy and joined the elder's den. Because of what had happened, he refused to ever speak with Whitestar again as long as they both lived. He made a Promise-in-Blood. And in our clan, that promise must be kept.

Shaderipple lead me into the nursery, not looking at me when he answered my question. "He went out on patrol this morning with Crowfoot and Emberflower, so he doesn't know yet. Besides, it's customary to allow the one we want to train the kits to see them first. And since you have yet to get an apprentice, you'll be the one to train my kit."

I stared at him thoughtfully, "Wait, so there is only one kit."

"That's right, and I'd like you to name her," the deputy said enthusiastically. We had reached the inside of the nursery which was hidden the farthest below and inside the Great Willow. It was always so peaceful in the nursery, but somehow it felt different now. Like everything was complete.

There were several moss nests in front of us, but only one was occupied at the moment. Rabbitpad and Pheasantwind had most likely taken their kits out for a walk-the nursery would be a handful now that there was one more kit to chase about. In the one occupied nest, was a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat, who was currently smiling down at the bundle of fur that crawled around blindly. Without looking up, Goldentail called us over, "Are you both going to stand there and gawk, or are you going to come over here?"

I visibly flinched at how harsh her words sounded. Goldentail could be a nice and sweet cat, but never let others walk all over her. Her temper was one of the worst and she tended to get impatient, but she always thought about others before herself. And that is exactly what had drawn Shaderipple to her.

I used to question my friend's sanity for choosing her as his mate-Goldentail had been my old denmate, so I had experience with her temper driven at me most of the time. All Shaderipple had said to me was that I would understand when it happened to me.

After a while, I began to notice that Goldentail was less hot-headed. She began to treat me better than before, and it wasn't even forced. I began to feel happy, too. Both she and Shaderipple treated me like close kin, and had been the ones to bring me out of the darkness that had been eating at my heart all those moons ago-that dreaded voice that I had heard in those days after the battle had also vanished.

Without hesitation, for fear of getting yelled at, both Shaderipple and I padded over and sat down in front of the nest. Looking down at the little she-kit, I immediately knew that there was something special about her. The right side of her pelt was strictly black, while the other side was white. Her legs looked strong, which would do her good with climbing and fighting later on. Her long, glossy fur would be essential for fishing later on.

Our clan was unlike the other clans that had been told in nursery tales. While each one was based on a single style of hunting and fighting, we were the only ones that utilized all of them. Though, not everyone was cut out for some of the things taught and not too many could master each clan style. Those who could however, were said to be the descendants of Rainbowstar-the first of our leaders-and the descendants of Brightshadow-a great and mysterious warrior that had saved the clan from its first great disaster.

Even though both ancient warriors' bloods ran through most of the clan's veins, very few were actually acknowledged as true descendants. Those that were, were born with black-patterned white fur and misty, gray fur with black patches found somewhere. Most of the time, when a litter is born to a parent with one of those fur colors, they will get the same fur color. So far, this accusation has been correct.

In RainbowClan, if you were born under either bloodline, you were expected to be one of the best warriors; strong, courageous, and capable. Most of the time, because of the distinct difference in capabilities, a warrior from the same or opposite bloodline was to mentor an apprentice from the same or opposite bloodline. If that wasn't possible though, then the parents could choose someone else to mentor the kits, as was our tradition.

I find it lucky that I'll get to train the little she-kit, but thinking of the circumstances that brought me to this luck, pains me. At the moment, I am the last true descendant of Brightshadow. Moons before our sudden tragedies, our clan was filled to the brim with many cats-this was due to our large expanse of territory that we had. Along with my father and littermate, there were seven other cats that also had Brightshadow's blood. For those under Rainbowstar, there were six, which included Whitestar, his two littermates, and Shaderipple when he was a kit. After several incidents, including the green cough outbreak and the battle with the foxes, the number of our greatest warriors dwindled down to just Whitestar, Shaderipple, and I; and now this new kit.

As I thought the sad situation that our clan was in, I wasn't paying much attention to the little black and white kit, who had stumbled, blindly, out of the nest and into my forelegs. I looked down at her as she shook her head and mewed loudly in distress. I could feel my friends' burning, gaze, as I carefully placed my nose down on her head to calm her down.

I look up at my friends, who had amused smiles plastered on their faces. "What; I couldn't let her cry," I said innocently. I narrowed my eyes at Shaderipple, "Don't go thinking I'm a pushover now." I suddenly realized that the kit had stopped crying. "So when are her eyes going to open?" I asked, looking back at the small bundle of fur.

Goldentail purred, "No telling really. Sweetsong said that they could open at any time. So are you going to help us name her; might as well do it before Whitestar gets here." Her last statement was layered with a tone of light bitterness.

I nodded in understanding; Whitestar might think that he should name the kit himself. I crouched down to get a closer look at the kit, so that I could get a feel of her name. She seemed to realize that I was nose-to-nose with her, because she tried to climb on my face, only managing to get her little paws on top of my muzzle. "She sure is a lively one," I commented. My friends were quiet as I analyzed their offspring.

I don't know how it is in the other clans, but it was a tradition in our clan for the parents to choose the mentor of the kit, and that mentor to give them their name when they were born. It was a tradition of ours that was to be taken seriously, just as the Peace Keepers did with their quest-of-self-reliance, that their apprentices went through before they became a full keeper. A name was an important thing, because it stuck with that cat for the rest of their lives, and signified them as a member of RainbowClan.

I chuckled when the kit suddenly tried to nom my nose. "You've sure got some spunk trying to bite me," I muttered lowly. Names began flying through my mind, _Boulderkit… Halfkit... uh, maybe Wolfkit…_

I gave a soft but frustrated hiss, "It'd be easier if you opened up your eyes." Though it was quite uncommon for a kit to actually do so, the two special bloodlines of the Clan were for some reason gifted in strength as well as maturity.

The she-kit stopped nipping me when I said this. Her head tilted to the side a bit. Goldentail, seeing this, gasped excitedly, "Oh it seems that she heard you."

"Is that so? Then come on little one; open your eyes for me." My voice was low, and inviting so that it would be easier to persuade her. "Don't worry; I'm not that scary," I added humoredly.

The black and white kit started making a face, and I could tell that she was trying hard to open her eyes. At first, it seemed like she wasn't making any progress. Then I started to see the faint color of eye-though I still could not tell what color they were. Patiently and anxiously we waited. Several minutes had gone by, before the kit finally got her eyes fully open. My own eyes flashed in surprise at what I saw, and I voiced the first thing that came to my mind.

"Redkit."

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***huggling Redkit* SUCH A PRECIOUS THING SHE IS! x"3 Just wait till the next chapter to see how precious she is. ;D Remember to review if you can and like the story so far.**

**And remember, if you flame, a terribly busty beautiful man-lady named Ophelia will hunt you down and HUG you Cx Okay crush you to his/her huge chest but whatevs. ;D**


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